Water, carbon, climate and life on Earth

20& of oxygen globally is created by the Amazon. rainforests are known as the lungs of the earth.

massive carbon sinks

respiration of wildlife emits CO2

high decomposition due to warm and wet conditions

impacts of anthropogenic activity and environmental change

deforestation releases high amounts of stored CO2, also wildfires are really bad

photosynthesis ceases

respiration stops

carbon in runoff increases

decomposers will be largely absent from environment

mitigating the impacts of climate change

modifying industrial combustion

carbon capture and storage is where emissions from coal fired power stations and industry, and it then taken and stored and this has been said to prevent global carbon emissions by up to 19%.

modifying photosynthesis

trees are carbon sinks, help moderate climate by releasing water vapour

modifying land use change

carbon farming - where crops are replaced with ones that absorb more carbon from the atmosphere

modifying deforestation

consumers are encouraged to only buy wood certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council - wood sourced sustainably

countries make payments to protects woodland to offset their carbon emissions

in Malaysia, Selective Management System is a sustainable approach to logging by felling selected trees and planting replacements.

the importance of both carbon and water

carbon makes up 18% of the human body, fuels respiration

carbon is in approximately 50% of biomass

changes in the magnitude of the stores can have massive local and global implications for flora and fauna

Tropical rainforests: the water cycle

2000mm of precipitation per year, of 75% is intercepted by the canopy, the rest of it evaporates.

the impacts of anthropogenic activity and environmental change

deforestation for commercial farming - areas become less humid, more runoff as less interception, soils vulnerable to erosion, virtually no transpiration.

estimate that future deforestation of the Amazon rainforest could lead to 20% decrease in regional rainfall

carbon cycle feedback loop

higher temperatures have increased the growing season for plants which in turn increases the carbon absorption from the atmosphere

higher temperatures melt permafrost particularly in parts of Siberia. organic matter trapped in the ground are vital stores of carbon, it is assumed there is more in permafrost than there is in the atmosphere. this store is released when this permafrost melts

water cycle/carbon cycle feedback loop

phytoplankton are microscopic plant-like organisms that live in water. they photosynthesise. store carbon and contribute to ecosystems.

negative feedback loop - phytoplankton release a chemical substance called dimethylsulphide that may promote cloud formation, increases in phytoplankton lead to more clouds and then global cooling, however less sunshine may lead to less phytoplankton, creating a negative feedback loop.